


If you were afraid, my darling I'd be the courage you lack

by Kroolea



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Bodyguard!Din Djarin, Cobb Vanth Needs a Nap, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kidnapping, M/M, Mild Language, Senator!Cobb Vanth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:42:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28656660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kroolea/pseuds/Kroolea
Summary: Being the first southern senator to pass gay marriage has put Senator Cobb Vanth under extreme pressure. Against his will he is given a bodyguard in case of any sudden attacks from the deeply conservative citizens of Georgia.Din Djarin's the one of the best guards in Georgia. He's worked with hundreds of important people and knows how shitty they can be. Some senator is no different.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth
Comments: 33
Kudos: 188





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my 50th work so I'm making an actual chaptered work ✌

"And that is why I believe that every person, regardless of gender, deserves to marry the person they love!"

Senator Cobb Vanth isn't known for his long speeches. He tries to keep them concise and to the point, he knows that no one watches the news to hear flowery language.

After the speech, he quickly sits down, people clap around but he barely hears it. Adrenaline is pumping through his blood and he sits up as the next person stands to say their opinion. It's the bitchy young senator from South Carolina, Calican something or another. Cobb hates him.

"That was good." The senator from one desk down, Senator Fennec Shand from Washington, whispers. He gives her a small smile.

"Thank you."

She nods. "Of course. I hope they pass this."

Fennec and Cobb had been friends for almost three years now, despite being almost being across the country from each other. They had similar political beliefs and sat beside each other.

He looks over at the angry man at the podium ranting and attempting to tear apart Cobb's argument with religious sources. "Me too..." He says softly.

\---

"Mail delivery." Peli jokes as she dumps a pile of things on his desk. He pulls his eyes away from his laptop screen to glare at her.

The pile is at least five times bigger than it usually is. He raises a brow and picks up a letter.

Usually, his mail was a combination of middle schoolers writing a letter for school, old people who hadn't heard of an email, and people begging him to change this or that.

He tentatively opens the first one. It's from a girl from Clarke County.

_Dear Senator,_

_Thank you for fighting for LGBT rights. I am 18 years old and one of my greatest dreams is to marry my girlfriend of 3 years. Thanks to you, that might be possible._

_Sincerely,_

_Torra Duzo_ _._

Cobb smiles, setting it in his desk. He always keeps the nice letters like that. He only has a handful, maybe 30, but he treasures them.

The next one is not so nice.

_Mr. Vanth_

_Being gay is against the Bible and you will bring the judgment of God to our beautiful nation. I pray you will be turned to the light._

Cobb rolls his eyes and puts it through the shredder. He enjoys watching it rip to pieces. What a perfect waste of a stamp.

The responses to his stance are mixed. Some are touching, others are scathing, hateful even.

He can handle the criticism, he's been in politics for fifteen years, been a senator for eight of those years, he's used to it by now. What he doesn't like is the people who use religion to justify hatred.

At some point, Peli comes into his office to help him sort through the monstrous pile.

"Aww, this is cute." She hands him a drawing from a five-year-old boy in Gwinnett County. It's a picture of him and his moms. At the bottom in crude handwriting it says ' _thanks for fighting our cause.'_

Cobb hangs it up on the wall. It sticks out beside his certifications and degree.

He likes it.

"One more thing." Peli says as she stands. "I was talking to Fennec, she called me this morning. She told me to try and convince you to hire a bodyguard."

He sighs loudly. "And why is that?"

Peli frowns. "Well, people from Georgia, especially the suburbs and rural areas, tend to not be very open-minded."

"I have said other things they didn't like." Cobb says stubbornly. He doesn't want a bodyguard.

She sighs. "You have, but you haven't made decisions that they felt attacked their religion." She finishes the statement quickly, afraid he will shut her down before she even finishes.

He thinks about the statement. She makes a valid point, these letters have made him aware that people are angry, justified or not. She looks legitimentally scared for his safety, which makes him hesitate on his immediate answer.

"One bodyguard." He relents. "Call Karga and ask him for an unarmed one too, there's no need to bring weapons into this." He takes a deep breath.

He doesn't want a guard, he likes his independence. But Peli and Fennec have pretty good forethought, if they're suggesting it, he trusts their instincts.

Besides, it will only be until this whole thing settles down.

\---

Din Djarin wakes up to crying coming from the baby monitor. It's dark outside and a quick glance at the clock beside his bed tells him it's only 4:39 AM. He doesn't need to wake up for another hour and a half.

Unfortunately for him, his kid makes most of his decisions for him. Including when to wake up.

Gregorio has been an early riser since Din brought him home from the hospital. Din wasn't against waking up at odd hours in the morning, but he preferred it being on his own time and not at a crying toddler.

He pulls himself out of bed and goes to Grogu's room. Grogu in sitting in bed crying as he waits for his father to pick him up. The moment he hears Din he holds up his hands, opening and closing his fists as he wails.

Din sighs and picks him up, they sit in the rocking chair beside the crib. Grogu's tears settle down.

"Buenos dias, mijo." Din murmurs. Grogu snuggles into his chest, his curly hair barely brushing Din's chin. Din loves these moments, moments when Grogu is cuddly and not a little ball of energy. Well, he loves Grogu all the time, but he especially cherishes these moments.

All good things have to come to an end and soon Din hears his alarm go off in his room. He sets Grogu on the floor and rushes to turn it off.

He feeds Grogu and gets him ready to go with his babysitter. Grogu coos as Din ties his shoes.

Grogu's babysitter is a woman named Omera. She has known Din for a long time and Din trusts her more than anyone else to watch his son.

Omera's daughter Winta is already waiting for him when he pulls up. Winta is four and can ask a million questions an hour. She's made it her personal goal to be a bodyguard like Din.

"Mr. Din, what will you be doing at work today?" She asks, he shrugs, taking Grogu out of the car seat.

"Dunno. But when I get assigned I'll be sure to tell you." He promises. He's not going to tell her that he'll probably just be working security at the mall like he has for the past two weeks.

He kisses Grogu goodbye and stops by the office to see if anything has changed.

He doesn't like working security at the mall. Most of the issues at the mall is dealing with whiny, middle-aged women and teenage thieves.

His boss is waiting for him when he arrives. "Did you get my texts?" He asks impatiently, Din shakes his head.

"I was driving." He opens his phone to see he has 30+ messages from Karga. He winces and tucks his phone back in his pocket. "What's up?"

"A senator needs a bodyguard. Specifically asked for one and no weapons." Karga lists. "A huge pay."

Din hates guarding political people.

"Which senator?" He asks dryly.

"Cobb Vanth." Karga tries to gauge his reaction, it's too bad Din doesn't humor him with one. Cobb Vanth is pretty well-known, probably because he's their senator.

"What'd he get himself into?" Din sighs, he needs a drink but it's only 8 AM and he doesn't drink.

"You know his speech, supporting gay rights. They're worried that some extremist is gonna do something."

Din nods. "What's the pay and hours?" He isn't planning to do it, he's just curious.

"Seven to eight. Forty bucks an hour."

Din stares, thinking Karga misspoke. Forty dollars an hour? That was, Din does some quick mental math, four hundred dollars a day. "I'll take it."

Karga hits his shoulder. "Of course you will." He gives Din the address. "I'll let them know you're available tomorrow. Go back home and get some sleep, you look exhausted."

Din doesn't like being bossed around, but he is a little tired and a day off will give him some time to catch up on laundry and housework.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din and Cobb meet. Maybe this senator is different?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmaoooo the reason I never ever post chartered works is bc I either write half of it and then get bored and stop. Or I write it all at once and then want to post it all at once. 
> 
> Anyways you get another chapter tonight bc I'm kinda an attention whore.

Cobb looks at the file for his new bodyguard Peli had put on his desk that morning. The file is scarce, just a picture and a little information about the man, Din Djarin. He puts on his glasses and stares at the file.

Din's photo looks more like a mugshot than a resume picture. He looks extremely aggravated at the fact his picture is being taken. But it gets the point across, his hair and eyes are dark, he's handsome.

Cobb sighs at himself. _C'mon Vanth, he's an employee. You can't just think like that toward an employee. It's unprofessional and would make a scandal out of you._

A knock on the door interrupts his thoughts. In walks the man from the picture, Din looks much calmer and less angry than his picture showed. It didn't so him justice.

"I'm Din Djarin, your bodyguard. Where would you like me to stay?" He asks stiffly. Cobb smiles.

"Come on in, I'd like to properly meet the man who is potentially save my life. Cobb motions for him to come in. Din shuts the door and sits at one of the chairs in front of Cobb's desk. He doesn't smile, but he does look curious at the whole situation.

"How old are you, Din?" Cobb asks, he doesn't know why he asks that, he bites the inside of his cheek. _Goddamn, Cobb. Don't fall for your fucking bodyguard._

"Thirty-five." Din answers quickly. His eye contact is piercing but he almost seems relieved when Cobb drops his eyes contact.

"You like bodyguarding?" The file pretty much just lists his skills and other events and people he's guarded. Cobb is curious about the man behind the file. He wants to know Din's heart, why he took up this demanding career, what he finds interesting about a job others view as boring.

Din takes a deep breath. "I do."

Cobb hums and flips through some stray papers on his desk. "I saw you've been doing security at the mall. Do you prefer that to actual bodyguarding."

"I do not." When Cobb raises a brow and looks entertained, Din continues. "Secruity is alright, I mean it puts food on the table. But it's mostly just teenagers."

"Ah, thieves. How do you deal with them?" Cobb wonders. He just wants to know how Din's personality is. He wants to be able to trust this man since they'll be together for some time.

"I talk to them. Convince them to give the stuff back. Most of them are trying to steal it to sell it online and make some money for their families."

Cobb ponders this, "How would we prevent these robberies? Youth programs? School assemblies?"

"I'm not here for politics, Senator Vanth." Din says calmly. "I'm here to protect you. Where would you like me to stay posted while you're here?"

Cobb leans back. "My apologies. Please, call me Cobb. There's a couch in there," he motions to a room off of his office. "No one ever uses it. I doubt anything bad will happen."

Din considers this. "Alright. If you need to go anywhere, tell me."

Cobb nods, smiling. "Of course. Thank you."

Din doesn't react as he enters the empty room.

\---

As far as Din can tell, this is the nicest job he's had. It pays _very_ well and he's being paid to what? Sit around while a eccentric senator holds meetings fifteen feet away, walk with him to the bathroom, make sure he eats.

Cobb forgets to eat quite a bit. Din doesn't worry about him, Cobb is a grown adult and doesn't need Din fussing like a mother hen. Despite that, Din prides himself on the fact that he has gotten Cobb to eat lunch five out of the seven days he's been with the senator.

Right now, they're eating at a Mexican restaurant Din recommended. It's an authentic restaurant, Din seems at home as he speaks rapid-fire Spanish to the waiter.

"Your file never mentioned you speak Spanish." Cobb says as they eat. The food is delicious, he's definitely going to recommend it to the others.

"Does it need to?" Din asks between bites. Cobb shrugs.

"It could come in handy. Could you teach me it?"

Din cocks his head sideways. "Why would you need to learn?"

"820,000 people in Georgia speak Spanish. Many of them are immigrants or refugees. They work very hard to learn English, the least I can do is learn their language."

Din laughs. "You are a strange, strange senator, sir."

"How so?" Cobb is grinning as he leans forward in his chair. Din rolls his eyes. He has quickly learned that while the senator is a selfless man in the court room, outside he's kinda an attention whore.

"Most people don't care." Din shrugs. "I can teach you Spanish if you would like."

"I'll pay you, fifty dollars a lesson." Cobb offers. Din shakes his head.

"There's no need. This is for my people." Din pays for their meal and stands. "We need to get back. You have a meeting at two."

Cobb stands. "I coulda paid for that!" He follows Din to the car.

"Gotta be faster than me next time." Din jokes, opening the car door for Cobb. Cobb rolls his eyes.

"You're not my chauffeur. I can drive sometimes." Cobb protests. Din makes a face as he puts on some sunglasses.

"You could." Din schools his face back into a neutral one.

Cobb sighs, leaning his head back against the seat.

When they arrive back to the office, Peli runs out to meet them. "I've got something to show you." She holds out her phone and starts playing the news.

Toro Calican's ugly face fills the screen. He's angry, face nearly purple with rage.

"Traditional marriage matters. Marriage is about more than love, it's about raising a family, about creating healthy structures that children can grow up in. My family was traditional in every sense of the word and here I am, in front of all of you, as a United States Senator." He holds his arms out, as if making a point. "Cobb Vanth needs to change his standpoint on the issue, how is he representing his state if his state is against gay marriage?"

Cobb rolls his eyes so hard it hurts. "Fuck him." He mutters, suddenly remembering he doesn't know much about Din's political beliefs. "Such a pest."

Din snorts. "Atlanta would disagree with him." He gives Cobb a pitying look. "Good luck with that, sir. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, subscribe, ECT ect ECT
> 
> Check out my tumblr or Instagram @onceuponagalaxyfarfaraway


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cobb gives a speech and stresses tf out of Din.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I get enough patience to only post one chapter today?  
> Yes. But it was pretty close to being 2 chapters.

Cobb's house is huge. Din furrows his brow nervously as he rings the doorbell. What if the senator has a weird family that he's never showed to the public? That's happened before, Din guarded a representative from Texas that had eleven kids. Near the end of his time he was more of a glorified babysitter than a bodyguard.

"Come in!" He hears Cobb yell. Din sighs, opening the door.

"How are you avoiding harm if you just yell come in to every guest?" Din asks, leaning against the door, Cobb's shirt isn't buttoned up and he tries to fix his hair. A stubborn strand keeps falling on to his forehead.

"Not now, Din. You can wait there." Cobb says, past the toothbrush Din just noticed is in his mouth.

Din tries not to stare at Cobb's chest. The senator is in surprisingly good shape, Din can see the beginning of abs from the angle he's at.

_Don't stare at your employers bare chest, Din. Seriously?_

Din didn't keep up much with politics, he found them boring and full of corrupt people. But a few times he had noticed Cobb Vanth, he was aware of the man's charm and beauty.

_Please, please, please don't think about him that way_ _._ Din tells himself.

Cobb holds up two ties that are almost identical. "Which one?"

Din points at the one closest to him. There's no reason, he doesn't care. Cobb spits his toothpaste into the sink and puts his toothbrush away.

"That's what I was thinking." He buttons his shirt with superhuman speed and ties the tie equally as fast.

Din's impressed.

Cobb slips his jacket on and looks himself over in the mirror and turns to Din. "How do I look?"

_Gorgeous._ His brain supplies unhelpfully. "Fine." Din answers. Cobb takes it and puts his shoes on.

"Try not to worry too much today." Cobb places his hand on Din's arm. He's completely unaware of the way it causes Din's brain to short-circuit.

"No promises." Din clears his throat as Cobb drops his hand to his side. Din can feel himself blushing as he goes to his car. Cobb follows, looking scattered. Din hopes he does well today, this speech is important to his cause.

\---

Yeah, whatever Cobb meant by "try not to worry too much" wasn't happening. Din is really fucking stressed. There are at least 500 people here and even more coming and leaving. Din feels incredibly claustrophobic as he pushes his way through the crowd.

He decides to stand near the front, that way he can at least see if anything seems to be going on.

Why was this particular senator so hard to protect.

Din had protected a few senators and representatives before Grogu came into his life. Most had been happy to have him to protect them, they were assholes but they paid well and he even was able to travel in some interesting areas. Din's main job was to be been and not heard.

Cobb Vanth is a different story. He pays good, even better than some of the picky senators and actually talks to Din. In Din's personal opinion, he talks too much. He asks questions about Din's experiences as a bodyguard. He asks about working security and about majoring in psychology.

And Cobb is fighting for the right for lgbt couples to marry. Which means his rights to marry someone he chooses could be on the line.

There's a man standing beside Din taking pictures. "These'll be history someday." He says, Din nods.

The man continues to snap away until Cobb's speech ends. He hurries off the stage before anyone can react.

It's then that Din realizes many people around him are angry. The camera guy has since slipped into the crowd. He pushes his way towars where Cobb is standing. Then a shout goes up, it's a mix of cheering and booing. Din frowns as a man and woman shake an angry fist in Cobb's direction. He pulls Cobb into the car before anything happens.

"That was a little too much." Din admits once they are back to Cobb's home. Cobb take him to his home office. Din doesn't hate it, it's cozy. He fieels awkward just standing in his personal area. Cobb doesn't look uncomfortable, which Din appreciates.

Cobb leans his head against the wall. "I don't think it was. I did what I had to do."

"They were angry. Don't you think you need to lay low for a while?" Din paces. "Someone could have hurt you and who would have stopped them? Me and three other cops?"

"It's your job." Cobb bites back. Din rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

"You need to lay low for a little bit. Find a different approach." Din says firmly.

"I can't. I'm sorry. I need to fight for this cause. I have people depending on me, I have families who would be complete if their parents would be allows to get married." Cobb rants. "This isn't about Calican. If it was, I'd be willing to step down. This is about people's rights and freedoms. I need to to do this for all the the kids who deserve a chance to live their lives in the country that promises complete freedom." Cobb's eyes are alight with passion.

Din can't argue with that, he doesn't want to. "We can't lose you though..." He attempts weakly.

Before he can think, Cobb's lips are on his. His eyes widen before closing. Cobb tastes like toothpaste which is a little weird but not all that bad.

Cobb pulls away first, his pupils dilated. "You won't lose me. I have you."

Din pretends to not hear him, he cups the back of Cobb's head and kisses him again. He lets Cobb's tongue explore his mouth, then down his neck to wear his neck and shoulder meet, trying to ignore the arousal that stirs in his groin.

Din allows himself to be pulled to Cobb's master bedroom. Din takes a quick moment to look around, the room is huge, the walls are a light blue.

"Do you want to do this?" Cobb catches Din's attention back by asking, his hands are on Din's waist. Din shudders as his mouth finds a sensitive spot on his jawline.

Din nods. "If you do."

Cobb shuts the door and locks it, even though there's no one to interrupt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, comments make my day! 
> 
> Come chat on Instagram or Tumblr - @onceuponagalaxyfarfaraway


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a kidnapping. Din maybe get involves when he shouldn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second thing I'm going to post in 3 minutes bc they're pre-written ✌

Din pulls up to Cobb's office and instantly knows something is very wrong. There are police cars in the parking lot and a woman with a gun stands by the door. Din hesitates, he gets wary around guns but what if something happened? Cobb always arrived after Din, the man couldn't be on time without help from Din or Peli. The arrangement was always that since the were police stationed near Cobb's home, no one could get in or out without being seen. Cobb doesn't go all that many places, he usually meets Din at his office and they go from there. 

The woman starts walking toward him so Din gets out of the car and holds his hands up to prove he has no gun. When the woman looks him over and seems satisfied, he puts his hands on his hips.

"What happened?" He asks, there isn't an ambulance around which is either very good or very bad.

"Senator Vanth was taken from his office this morning at approximately 5:37 AM." She recites, his heart drops. "Who are you? I'm not taking interviews with journalists." She glances to outside the parking lot where a group of reporters are, yelling at them. He turns attention back to her.

"I'm Din Djarin, I was supposed to be his bodyguard but obviously that didn't work out." He says the last part bitterly. Maybe he should have offered to stay with the senator, then he would have been with him at all times and this could be prevented.

Her face softens as she understands what's happening. "I'm Agent Cara Dune, I'm with the FBI. This isn't your fault, Djarin."

He doesn't quite believe her. "Have you found anything?"

She shakes her head. "He was taken from this parking lot, the doors were unlocked and the security footage didn't pick up anything. One man says he heard a yell from around 5:37, but aside from that we have nothing."

Din sighs. With those odds, the chances of finding anyone is low. "I'd offer to help but I'm not sure what I could do." .

She glances at the car beside Din's, it's Cobb's. "Did you notice anything odd at his speech yesterday? Anyone threaten him?"

He shakes his head, thinking over her question. "People were angry, but I didn't hear anyone threaten him."

She sighs. "I was afraid of that, go home. I will call you if we find anything." She pats his shoulder. "If anything comes up, text me." She puts a card with a her number in his shirt pocket.

"Can I help? I can do something." Din protests, he feels guilty despite knowing there wasn't much he could have done. "Vanth was my responsibility, my job, for fuck's sake." 

Cara hesitates. "There isn't much to do at this point. There's no security footage, no one saw anything. We're going off the info from one guy."

"Please, I- I want to help. I can-" 

"Get some rest, Mr. Djarin. I'll call you if there is anything you can help up with." Her tone is sincere, Din slumps against his car.

There's a piece of trash near Din's car and he put it in his pocket. Cobb always complains about people that litter instead of throwing stuff away. He checks his phone and realizes he's missed several calls from Peli and others from unknown numbers.

He doesnt drive home, he picks up Grogu from Omera's. She looks surprised but doesn't question him. She's probably already seen the news, at this point she might've even seen him on the news since the reporters were attempting to film him and Cara's conversation from afar.

Grogu's eyes light up when he sees his father. "Papa!" He holds his arms up, Din picks him up, he breathes in Grogu's still-baby scent.

"Hey there, bud. Do you wanna go to the park?" He asks, he needs to take his mind off everything that's happening. "You two can come with us." He offers to Omera.

She shakes her head. "You need some time alone. Have fun with your boy."

Din is grateful for her answer. He would be fine if they did come, but he doesn't want to answer Winta's millions of questions. He buckles Grogu in.

"Sad?" Grogu asks, he's holding onto Din's hand. Din looks up at Grogu, his son is looking at him seriously.

"Yes, a little bit." Din admits. Grogu leans forward and places a slobbery kiss on Din's cheek.

"Better!"

Din sniffles. "Thanks."

The park does allow him to take his mind off the problem. They play until Grogu is falling asleep in the swing. Din takes him home and puts him in the crib.

He changes out of his clothes and puts them in the dirty laundry. He changes into some sweatpants and tries not to check his phone every three seconds for texts from Cara.

\---

Days pass with nothing. The government sends down more reinforcements but Din knows they won't find anything.

Cobb's just another casualty of politics in the media's eyes. He has no family waiting for him at home, no one is holding out hope for him.

Din is doing laundry when he notices a circular object at the bottom of his washing machine. He frowns in confusion and picks it up. It's a lense cover for a camera. He briefly remembers finding it in the parking lot the day Cobb was taken.

He throws it away.

_"These'll be history someday."_

Din freezes, digging through his trash to find the cover. The logo is the same of the man's camera. Din remembers the man's smile, it had been malicious. The man had disappeared before the speech was over.

Pretty weird, if Din says so himself. He tries to recall what the man looked like. He does a pitiful sketch on a receipt. It's terrible but he thinks he makes the point. He calls Cara.

"Hello?"

"This is Din Djarin. I might have something about the senator's case." He says calmly. He hears shuffling from her side of the the line.

"Alright. Hit me up."

He explains his thoughts. How the man at the speech had the same kind of camera. He gives a description.

Cara hums. "Thanks. I'll give the description to my superiors."

She hangs up without saying goodbye.

He sighs, flipping the lense around in his hands. He pulls out his phone out and calls Peli.

He hasn't talked to her since Cobb's disappeared, but she answers on the first ring. "Din?"

"I might have found a lead." He recaps what he told Cara. "I want to take the lense to a camera expert. There's one in Atlanta."

"I'll be there. We can take my car."

"I'll have to being my toddler along, if that's okay." It'll have to be okay, he doesn't have a babysitter today.

"Of course! I have a carseat for my grandson, but you can being your own if you'd rather. I'll meet you at your house."

He doesn't ask how she knows his address. She's a secretary and knows everything, his mama was a secretary, he would know.

She pulls in ten minutes later. Grogu is wearing a dinosaur onesie and roars at Peli when Din sets him in the carseat.

Peli gasps, "He's adorable! Hang on, you're driving this and I'm playing with this little one." She hands her keys to Din and sits in the backseat.

Grogu looks thrilled to have so much attention. Din looks in the rearview mirror as Peli tickles his chin. "You didn't tell us you had such a cute boy." Grogu giggles. Din doesn't respond, neither of them asked if he had kids or a partner.

The camera store is perhaps the sketchiest store Din has ever been in. The loud 80s rock is loud and the over-sprayed febreze does nothing to cover up the smell of weed. Din passes Grogu to Peli.

"Wait outside. Actually," he hands her a ten dollar bill. "Get him some ice cream from down the plaza."

Peli seems to catch his drift and takes Grogu outside, saying something about "quality time with Auntie Peli."

"Welcome, welcome." The storekeeper comes out from the back. Din puts what he hopes is a friendly expression on his face and leans against the counter. "How can I help ya?"

"Can you identify this?" Din doesn't want to be in here a moment longer than he has to. These feels like a scene from a drug show and Din doesn't want to be guilty by association.

"Starrich cap. This is a vintage, the 1990s." He flips it over. "How much you want for this?"

"It's not for sale." Din answers, the man scowls. "Have you sold a camera like this?"

"Several."

"Do you know this man?" Din pulls out the badly sketched picture.

"You lookin' for Gid?"

Hope sparks in Din's chest. "You know him?"

"Course. He's got a whole exhibit upstairs. Best of the best. It's extra two dollars to view."

Sighing, Din fishes out two dollars and pays the man.

When the man said "a whole exhibit" he wasn't joking. Upstairs is basically a museum dedicated to this man. Din looks around for a while, ignoring the man's incessant ramblings.

A picture catches his attention, it's smaller than the others. Cobb is in the center, his eyes bright with passion. He slips the 4 by 7 frame in his jacket and texts Peli.

_Call me, this man won't shut up._

Barely a minute later, he gets a call. "Hello."

"You didn't warn me your kid was a messy eater." Peli's tone is light.

"I'm so sorry. Do you need me?" Din glances at the man, he's stopped talking, looking around awkwardly.

"If you don't mind." Peli's tone takes one of near begging.

"I'm on my way." Din is already halfway down the steps. He waves to the man and jogs to the ice cream store.

Grogu is eating his ice cream calmly, not a drop of ice cream on his clothes. Din snorts and sits beside Peli. "Thanks for that."

"Of course. You find something?"

He pulls the photo from his jacket. Peli gasps. "You stole it?"

Din shrugs. "Got an issue with that?"

She shakes her head. "Not if it gets him back."

Din takes the picture out of the frame. Out pops a business card. He lets out a slow shaky breath.

"No. Way."

_Gideon Moff_

_Photographer of Georgia and surrounding states._

_Call or email anytime._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! 
> 
> Come n chat on Insta and Tumblr - @onceuponagalaxyfarfaraway


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rescue? Maybe. (Yes because I cannot hold out suspenseful moment)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya bitch almost forgot to post this tonight wh00ps
> 
> Din is such a himbo here we love to see it

If Cobb's learned one thing from this whole situation, it's that he's probably allergic to chloroform. He's inclined to believe this because every time this crazy-ass man knocks him out with the stuff he wakes up puking.

Not that Cobb desperately needed to know he was allergic to the stuff.

He's not a mold specialist but he's positive that this basement is covered in black mold.

So, yeah, this situation is pretty shitty even if you ignore the fact he was kidnapped.

The kidnapper doesn't a name or a face. He's had Cobb blindfolded from the moment he was able, but from what he can tell, the man is older than Cobb, maybe in his late forties or early fifties.

The man also hates everything Cobb stands for. Which sucks for him because the man is determined to make Cobb's life miserable.

It's working. Cobb's pretty fucking miserable.

\---

It takes Din about three minutes of searching the internet to find Gideon Moff's address. He lives in a small town outside Macon in a fancy super Republican neighborhood.

When he drops Grogu off at Omera's he claims that he has some new job. It's early, so early that the sun is barely rising.

The house is in the center of the town, it's light blue with white shutters. It's the picture perfect Georgian house. Din clenches his jaw when he sees the playground in the yard beside Gideon's. Pulling out his phone, he texts Cara.

_Went to this man's house. Just watching, really think it's right._

**_Cara_**

_Hang on, let us get the picture run through the system. Take your mind off the whole thing. Let is do our job._

Din throws his phone down. He doesn't plan to do that. He swallows and decides to do some good old fashioned exploration. He sticks his phone in his pocket and climbs out of his car.

He walks around a few times, peering into the windows. The lights are on but he doesn't see anyone. Din walks around to the backyard.

He sees a window at ground level, a pristene window well surrounds it, colorful flowers fill the empty space.

Din sees someone moving around inside and presses himself against the wall.

He hears muffled voices, a low gravelly voice he assumes is Gideon. He can't hear what he's saying. 

"Fuck you." A voice that sounds familiar says. Din's eyes widen and he strains his ears to listen. "All you extremists are the same on either side."

Din scrambles to his car, nearly tripping several times. He pulls out his phone, calling Cara.

"Din, I'm going to block you if you keep-"

"I found him." Din blurts. "I know you said to stop. But I found him." His hands are shaking. "Lock me up after this, I don't give a shit but he is here."

Cara is silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "I'll come and check. If you're wrong..."

Din doesn't know what will happen if he's wrong, but he doesn't want to know.

He sends her the address and waits.

She shows up thirty minutes later, her face is stern. Din shows her where he heard and she tells him to stand by the cars. He's frustrated, he really is. She's brushing him off and he is well aware of that. She doesn't believe him, he's annoyed with him, but he knows what he heard. 

He can't lose Cobb. Cobb is fighting for his own rights, for rights of millions of people. His passion is almost contagious, he can get Din excited for a future world, not many people can do that anymore.

Din hates how hard he's fallen for a stupid senator. But that's the problem, Cobb isn't stupid, he's ridiculously smart and witty. Din has grown to love hearing the man rant about other politicians behind closed door. 

She creeps around the building, keeping a well-trained eye on the houses around them. He sits by the basement window and listens.

She doesn't hear anything. It's silent and she's almost ready to go back to Djarin and yell at him for wasting her time. She hears the cars on the highway and sirens in the distance.

Then, she hears coughing from inside. "Resign or I'll make you." She hears someone say. There is a pause if silence.

"Kill me and others will take my place. I will never resign."

That's the senator's voice. Cara has watched enough videos of him lately to pick it out. He's in danger, if the way his voice shakes means anything.

She runs back to the car, pulling out her radio. Din looks up.

"What happened?"

"He's going to kill him." Cara says and Din's heart seems to stop.

"I'm gonna knock on the door." He says. Cara glares at him as she calmly gives orders for backup.

"Don't you dare." She hisses, but Din's already at the door.

He knocks, trying pull himself together as he comes up with an excuse.

Gideon answers the door after a shirt time. He's the same man Din saw at the speech, he doesn't seem to recognize Din.

"Hi, my wife and I," He points to Cara. "We lost our kitten, have you seen her? She's about this big and is black with blue eyes?"

Gideon shakes his head. "I have not. My apologies." He goes to shut the door but Din stops him. A look of irritation spreads across Gideon's face.

"Are you that photographer?" He asks. Gideon looks mildly pleased. "I love your work. How much do you charge for a session?" He asks, Gideon props the door opened.

"A hundred an hour. More counting other fees."

"Wow, I'm a photographer myself. I photograph a lot of nature. Georgia is beautiful this time of year and-"

Something cold is pressed against Din's head. Gideon twists him and Din suddenly sees that the backup Cara was requesting had arrived.

"Step forward and I'll shoot him." Din winces.

This wasn't ideal.

Cara looks annoyed as she throws down her gun. "Let both of them go and we'll reduce your sentence."

Gideon laughs. "Funny that you should think I am so dumb to believe that lie."

A shot rings and and Din falls to the floor.

He thinks for a moment he's been shot and panics.

"Din!" Cara yells, he blinks and sits up. His pants are covered in blood that he doesn't think is his.

No, it's not his. Gideon Moff is a few feet away with a bullet in his head.

Din adverts his eyes. "Thought I was in heaven for a second." He tries to joke, taking Cara's hand and standing up on shaky legs.

"If you think I'll be in heaven, you're wrong." She sends her men in to retrieve the senator.

Five minutes later one emerges with Cobb in his arms.

Cobb looks to be unconscious, his face has a nasty bruise on the side and there's blood on his shirt.

"His ankle is broken badly." The agent says, he sets Cobb down on the stretcher. "He passed out barely a minute ago, asked where Din is."

"Ride with him to the hospital." Cara pats him on the shoulder. Din clambers in the back, gently grabbing Cobb's hand gently.

One of the paramedics stops him as he gets to the hospital. "If you're not his family, you won't be allowed to see him."

"Please, sir. He has no one, he has no family. I'm his friend." Din barely begs for anything. He believes there are other ways to get what you want that isn't begging and whining.

But Din has had a rough day so his usual beliefs go out the window.

The paramedic is silent for a moment. "Alright. I'll count you as family."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so boring to write but when I went back and reread it I was like "oooh I'd read this" so here we are 
> 
> Come chat or whatever on Tumblr or Instagram if you haven't already - @onceuponagalaxyfarfaraway


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hospitals and Confessions.

Cobb is rushed into an emergency surgery for his ankle and potential brain damage. He's escorted to a private waiting room, the blood on his pants was gaining too much attention.

Cara brings him a change of clothes and some food. "Have they said anything?" She asks once he changes out of the bloody clothes.

"Surgery is going well." Din answers. As he eats. The clothes she brought him are new and keep him much warmer than the other ones were.

"You can head home." Cara says. "I'll stay here."

"I'm staying. My son's being dropped off here in a few minutes anyways." Din takes a deep breath. "I need to make sure Cobb is okay."

She shrugs. "Suit yourself. I'm getting a coffee, you want one?"

He nods. "Please."

He waits outside for Grogu and when he sees the little boy he almost cries. He almost died today, and it's suddenly all occuring to him. Omera kisses his cheek.

"I'm proud of you, Din." She whispers. "Also, I'm not even going to protect from Winta's millions of questions next time you visit." Her tone is teasing but she looks worried.

He chuckles. "I think I can take a few questions."

"We'll see how that statement holds up." She teases. She gives Grogu a goodbye hug and walks back to her car.

They wait in that damned waiting room for another five hours before an exhausted nurse tells them he is in recovery and will be able to visit in about two hours. "We expect him to make a complete recovery." She tells them.

"Thank you." Din tells her. She smiles.

"Of course."

\---

Grogu plays with some building blocks on the floor as Din sits beside Cobb's bed. There had been tons of flowers dropped off for the senator.

Cobb hasn't fully awoken yet, and despite the doctors insisting he was fine and that this was normal, Din was still nervous. (Sure, Cobb had opened his eyes and mumbled something about Din's eyes being pretty at about 1 AM last night. The senator is as high as a kite with all this morphine though.)

"Din?" Cobb croaks, Din looks at him so quickly he nearly gives himself whiplash.

"Cobb, you scared me. I'm getting a nurse."

He sticks his head out the door and waves down a nurse who runs in.

"Senator Vanth, how are you feeling?" She asks, looking at the clipboard on the bottom of his bed. Cobb laughs weakly, the noise sounding more like a cough.

"Tired, thirsty too."

"Do you know where you are?" She asks as she checks his readings and jots down a few words.

"The hospital, hopefully." He laughs at his own joke. Din gives him a soft smile. Of course Cobb, the ever charming senator, would be cracking jokes while in the hospital for a multitude of issues.

"Do you know who the president is?"

"Unfortunately. Him and I don't seem to see eye-to-eye on anything. For example, I think he's an absolute asshole." Cobb rambles. The nurse rolls her eyes. She gives him a bottle of water and a straw, helping him sit and drink. "How is your pain?"

"Pretty bad. I don't want any morphine yet, wanna talk to him before I'm out of my mind." He points at Din. The nurse laughs.

"I understand. I'll be in the hall, get me when he would like that morphine." She says the last part to Din.

"You didn't have to stay." Cobb protests, glancing at Grogu, then back up at Din.

Din blushes. "I know. But you didn't have anyone else, so here we are. I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries."

"This your kid?" Cobb asks, his eyes soften as he looks over at Grogu.

"Yeah."

"Cute little guy." Cobb remarks. "His momma?" 

"He's adopted." Din explains.

Din nods. His thoughts swirl in his mind. "I'm going to have to quit."

As soon as Din can do this, he can leave Cobb and go back to his life where he only say the man on the news. It hurts, but he doesn't want to risk his job for a crush, not when he has a kid now.

If Cobb is hurt, he doesn't show it, which makes Din's goal easier. "I get it. You have a kid and I'm sure the last..." He trails off, not knowing how long he's been gone.

"Two weeks." Din fills in for him, clearing his throat when it threatens to close up.

"Two weeks have been stressful. I understand-"

"I'm not quitting because of the job. I'm quitting because I love you." He did _not_ mean to say that and he instantly feels his face heat up. Cobb's eyes widen. "I know that's not professional and I am very sorry. I'll get that morphine for you and leave." Din is already standing when Cobb gently touches his hand.

"I guess it's a good thing I was gonna have to fire you."

Din blinks a few times. "Huh?"

"Was thinking about it after we fu..." Cobb glances down at Grogu and covers his mouth. "Uh, after we did that thing. I'm a politician, my career can't handle a scandal."

"Of course." Din nods, he pulls his hand away from Cobb's and picks his son up. "We'll be on our way."

"Hey, stranger. Since you don't work for me, how 'bout a date?"

Din freezes at the door. Surely Cobb, laying in a hospital bed with an ankle that had been shattered into pieces and a bunch of other smaller medical problems, didn't just ask him out. "Sorry?" He scammers out, confused.

"I'm not your boss or whatever. I'm single, you're single. Date me?" Cobb looks incredibly hopeful. 

Din lets out a short laugh. "You're kidding."

"Swear to the good lord I am not. Will you date me, Din Djarin?"

Din shifts in the door. "Yes."

Cobb looks delighted. "Thank you. Now you can get that morphine, my ankle is killing me."

Grinning like a lovesick teenager, Din ducks out of the room and gets the nurse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this is the epilogue and then this story is d o n e thank goodness. 
> 
> Nobody:  
> Cobb Vanth: Date me?  
> Din: yes  
> Cobb: Thank you


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pure fluff I swear

Cobb scowls unhappily as a nurse pushes him in a wheelchair to the door. Din rolls his eyes at his boyfriend's dramatics.

"I can walk." Cobb whines. The nurse laughs.

"Just because you can doesn't mean you always should. You need to be careful." She warns, looking more toward Din than to Cobb.

Din helps Cobb in the passenger seat. Grogu is already buckled in the back.

He claps as Cobb gets in the car. "Yay! Cobb!"

Cobb twists slightly in the seat. "Hey, buckaroo."

Grogu giggles. "Cobb, Cobb, Cobb." He repeats. Din sighs.

"He likes your name." Din says, if he's honest, he's getting sick of how obsessed Grogu is with Cobb's name.

"I see." Cobb chuckles. "I like your name too." He gently pinches on of Grogu's cheeks. Grogu grins, showing all of his teeth.

The car ride to Cobb's home is silent aside from Grogu's babbling as he looks out his window. Cobb seems fascinated with the toddler, he watches Grogu almost the entire ride.

Getting Cobb onto the porch swing is easier than Din expected, Cobb hobbled toward it with his crutches before Grogu is even out of his carseat.

Din gets Cobb a pillow to prop up his cast and grabs a book for him to read to Grogu.

A car pulls up and Din waves as he realizes it's Cara. "You good with him?" Din asks cautiously. Grogu is sitting on Cobb's lap, pointing at the pictures in the book. Cobb nods, not looking up from the pages.

Din kisses the top of Cobb's head and meets Cara in the drive way.

"You did some quick thinking there." She says, he smiles gratefully. He doesn't like reliving that day. He's starting seeing a therapist for the nightmares of losing Cobb or even Grogu.

"Thanks."

"We could use a quick-thinking guy like you in the FBI." Cara says. "My superiors were impressed. You have a skill. You'd get to see the world."

Din gives her a small smile. Her offer is tempting, an FBI agent.

"Don't you wanna see the world?" Cara cajoles, Din wants to say yes. He really does.

But Cobb's voice carries to Din's ears and brings him back to reality. He turns to watch the two of them on the swing. Cobb's uninjured foot pushes them softly and Grogu, perched on Cobb's lap, points at the pictures. Cobb has a soft smile on his face as he probably babytalks Grogu.

"I'll have to say no. As nice as that sounds, I have my world right here in Georgia."

She nods. "If you change your mind, the offer stands. I gotta get to a meeting, have a great day." She says, pulling out of the driveway. Din waves and sits on the porch steps. Cobb is finishing the story.

"What'd she have to say?" Cobb asks. Din ponders telling him. He decides not to stress the man out too much.

"It doesn't matter right now."

Grogu wiggles off Cobb's lap and toddles over to Din. Din laughs and ruffles Grogu's hair.

The sun sets over the horizon, bathing them in a dark orange light. Din closes his eyes, letting the last bits of warmth touch his face.

When he opens them, Cobb is staring at him. He blows the senator a kiss and watches Cobb blush.

Yeah, for now this is all the sights he needs to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And The End.  
> If that ending was mighty similar to the ending of my modern au series wedding fic, no, no it wasnt. ;)  
> It doesn't really matter since this is a completely different au but djxjskskdhdh still 
> 
> N e ways thank you everyone for reading!!! Your comments mean the world to me ❤
> 
> Come chat on my instagram or tumblr - @onceuponagalaxyfarfaraway


End file.
